Every elementary school in the Central Bucks School District must now guarantee at least 30 minutes of daily recess under a law Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Wednesday, Sept. 9.

House Bill 1505, approved by the state legislature as part of Pennsylvania's 2026-27 budget, covers all public school students in kindergarten through fifth grade, WHYY reported. The law directs the Pennsylvania State Board of Education to provide guidance on recess measures that promote movement, social interaction and stress management.

The timing lines up with a major shift in Central Bucks. The district, Pennsylvania's third-largest with roughly 16,665 students, completed a grade realignment that places kindergarten through fifth grade at all 15 elementary schools.

Full-day kindergarten also expanded districtwide this school year, according to the Bucks County Herald. Every CB elementary building now serves exactly the grade range the new law targets.

"In my eyes, recess is just as important as learning math, English, science, or history — recess is crucial for things like building social skills and staying active," Shapiro said in a statement.

The State Board of Education approved detailed recommendations on May 7 after reviewing 76 public comments from parents, teachers, principals and superintendents. Whether those recommendations constitute the formal guidance the law requires has not been clarified.

The Board's recommendations say schools may split the 30 minutes into non-consecutive periods. Teachers may use up to 10 minutes of recess time for academic support or discipline tied to conduct violations. The recommendations also say sixth graders should receive recess if they attend school in the same building as younger students.

Schools that need time to adjust staffing, supervision or collective bargaining agreements get one school year to comply. If a school shortens other parts of the day to fit recess in, all subjects must be reduced equally, the Board's recommendations state.

The Central Bucks School District has not publicly addressed how its elementary schools will implement the requirement or whether current schedules already meet the 30-minute standard.

Superintendent Joanna Wexler is scheduled to hold community forums on Monday, Oct. 5 at Central Bucks West High School, Monday, Oct. 12 at Holicong Middle School and Monday, Oct. 26 at Jamison Elementary School, according to Patch. Each runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m.